Travel and Career Choice/The Trades
 

Hi All,

I've been on HU for a while but haven't needed to post due to the volume of helpful information already discussed in depth, I appreciate this. I do want to gather some insight about switching to industries that accommodate travel a bit better, the trades seem to do this better than white collar work. I'm also very interested in any input I can get on your work and how you marry up travel with it. Mind that I've read damn near every line of Touring Ted's "do you like your job / careers?".

For Everybody
Has your particular industry and region allowed you the ability travel when you see fit? If so, what kind of qualifications is needed for your profession? Pros and cons? If you love your work arrangement, I want to hear from you.

For Folks in the Trades:
I've got friends that are union carpenters and electricians. It would appear that one needs to be very dedicated during the apprenticeship program, but once you're topped out, you can work for a while and pull yourself off the out-of-work list to travel periodically. Can anybody speak on this? Even if you're based in the US/Canada or not, please do tell. I may join the union millwrights in the PNW where I originate from for interest and flexibility, strong unions.


My Background and Preferences:
I'm 27, currently an engineer at a company that builds large concrete structures. I engineer the temporary framing that keeps buildings standing while they're not completely built and strong. I've begun project management as well, so I consequently work 50-60 hours a week since I'm both slow and overloaded. I'm simply clocking in miles at this point, I want want a balance of work and travel, not just slavery. Past jobs: wildland firefighting, ironworker, engineer for EVs.

Happy planning everybody, don't sneeze :shifty:

Terry

I worked in engineering in the UK which due to the shortage of skilled workers allowed me to come and go as I pleased, either returning to a previous employer or finding a new one. I did an apprenticeship as a toolmaker and did a variety of jobs including many types of manual and CNC machining and as a machine and engine fitter.
This work is not union controlled as some trades seem to be in North America, although I was a member of a trades union in a couple of places and once you started an apprenticeship which was usually straight out of school at 16 you would be expected to finish it which would take 4-5 years.
In the UK at least any apprenticeship in a skilled manual job would lead to regular and possibly flexible employment, the building trades were particularly in demand but what the economy and jobs market will be like after covid has done its danmedest is anyones guess.

OP, what's conspicuously missing from your description is any indication what sort of work you really enjoy, thrive on, could commit to. That matters, particularly if you're hoping to work for a bit, then take off to travel, then return to the same job in a different setting. This would be much more difficult if you're working begrudgingly. I'd suggest finding work which suits you, then setting it up in a way which allows you to do whatever else you want with your life. Is should go without saying that this may change in time--both the work itself, and your other priorities.

You also seem to think that unions are the key, at least when it comes to skilled labor. I've done a lot of traveling over the years, from weekends thru multiple yearlong trips, and I've done most of it by virtue of self-employment. It's worth thinking about...but there again, it's a difficult prospect unless you're fairly passionate about what you're doing.

I've had several career phases, including a number of building trades and my current (self-employed) work in counseling. Each had its own barriers to entry, often involving massive outlays of money spent in education and training, but at other times requiring nothing more elaborate than willingness to abase myself doing unpleasant work for very little money. No unions were involved, although I did spend some time agitating for a union in a right-to-work state.

Hope that's helpful.

Brits have an advantage here I think.
All young travellers I know, weather they’re overlanders or backpackers, get a work visa for Australia, which is conveniently half way round the world. They leave the Uk and slowly head for Oz, either going east or west.

By the time they reach Oz their money is almost gone but they can work legally for a year and save up. Then they continue their slow journey home, continuing in the same direction - usually.
The Uk and Oz have reciprocal qualifications in place so that healthcare workers, teachers, trades and many other professions are free to work.
There are plenty of other jobs for non-skilled labour in Oz too, it’s the work visa that’s the important thing here.

I’ve always thought that there are 3 ways to do it.

1 - Digital nomad

2 - Have a profession that is well paid and has a strong agency supply history - in the UK that would be healthcare, teaching, lorry driving, IT, also trades such as bricklaying - many more I suspect. Work for a few years, save up , big trip then back home and repeat.

3 - Have a profession that is accepted in other countries, move to and work in different countries and use them as a springboard to travel in that part of the world. I suspect doctor or nurse is the best, perhaps IT but I know very little about that

My thoughts from the UK - not sure how helpful it is to an American though
Good Luck
bier

You might be able to make that work?
By training/qualification I was originally a Quantity Surveyor (Contruction cost management) but managed to drop out of the industry for two years of travelling and then step back into it without too much difficulty. Subsequently I too moved into Project Management with something of a specialisation in construction projects that were going wrong and which wasn't as stressful as it might sound, due to the breaks between. It enabled me to get very well paid working freelance for 4-5 months (one project) each year and then travel for the other 7-8 months; I quickly managed to build a reputation (it's a small industry really) so I'd almost always agreed & secured that winter's contract before ever returning to the UK.

Terry, I'm really sorry (and embarrassed). I think I just accidentally deleted your post. I'm working on retrieving it, but I don't know whether that's possible. They never should have entrusted me with the keys to the kingdom.

So far, I've found only fragments of it, as follows. Damn.

Thanks for the insights guys. Turns out HU is good for career counseling.

I get the feeling that it's a little easier to return to white collar work in Europe than here. Most people i know seem to think I'm screwing myself for planning a tour for a year. This has made big picture planning a little bit more stressful.

markharf
That's a good point about enjoying work. I'm working begrudgingly. I think enjoyment is an important factor, but I also largely view employment as travel money. Jobs are evil.

I spend most of my free time building furniture or fabricating, might be a good fit. Going union is appealing for the simplicity and wages but I'm not opposed to go the other way.

Well speaking as an UK trained Electrician who moved down under, your UK qualifications DO NOT fully count, you need to have local licence (local regulations) which requires learning the local reg`s & sitting exams (its long & painful & costly) and until you have that local licence you cannot work as a 'qualified' Electrician.

In NZ you can apply for a temporary licence if you are a fully qualified electrician but you can only work under the supervision of a licensed electrician (bit like being a spotty apprentice all over again).

NZ & AUS qualifications are reciprocal in either country (ASNZ standards).

Mezo.

"Going Union" wont count for much in the UK or down here in Australia or New Zealand, it will not open any magic doors for you.

Mezo.

That sounds like a solid arrangement, I imagine it took some dedication before you went freelance. So you're a PM in general construction or something more specific?

You laid it out nicely. I think I'm aiming for number 2. I do wonder about number 3, maybe trying to get engineering work abroad. Applying for work is a pain in the ass here let alone internationally. What route have you gone yourself?

The work your describing sounds pretty interesting. How long were you able to take off for? One option is to try to transition to a more hands on position with my mechanical eng. degree, although it might make more sense to to press the reset button completely.

Fair enough. If you do stumble upon a magic door, you should definitely send me a pm.

I actually did look seriously into being an electrician. The hang up is that I'm color blind so no wiring for terry. Have you been able to do some long trips in between work?

Yep the colour blindness test is the very first thing they do before you start training, and no long trips for me as such, unless you count moving here to Australia?

On my fathers gravestone it reads "Happy is a man who`s work is his hobby" focus on the kind of work that would make you happy doing.

Mezo.

Well - in 2019, I finally met a self-set target of going abroad at least once per every month in the calendar year. The region certainly helps, in that I live in a small country with meaningful travel targets all around me. Some of the months were just going to the neighboring countries for a weekend.

Being in an industry where a labor shortage has resulted in a culture of care about employees' wellbeing, I could take the time off, and occasionally fudge a bit with Friday evening departures and Monday morning returns. That's lucky. My country also mandates 28 calendar days of paid vacation per year for everyone, and I am smart about scheduling around national holidays to maximize that even more. I travelled around the 2019 Christmas/New Year's holidays, and my 28 days turned into an effective 33.

My industry is IT - I'm not a programmer, but one of those many ancillary jobs that are necessary to make a large software development company run - and I've been working from home since March 2020. I think it's now firmly established that people *can* work remotely in my industry, and that is unlikely to ever fully go away. (We can always point out to employers that it saves on the cost of office space for them!) So, when things go back to normal, there's a better than even chance that I will be able to continue my fulltime employment out of a laptop in a saddle bag.

I think you'll get a similar response pretty much everywhere. Most people have a linear approach to life, particularly at the younger end where you're told endlessly that it goes school, uni / apprenticeship, a job based on your qualifications and settle down. Any deviation from that is frowned upon. We encouraged both our kids to take a gap year between school and uni. Take some time out, get some experience of the wider world and then you'll have a better idea of what you want to do. I lost count of the number of people - including their school tutors - who told us they really shouldn't do it, it was indulgent and they'd never catch up.

Out of my daughter's peer group she was the only one to take the year out. And the result - they both came back much the better for what they did, with better formed ideas of what was possible /what they wanted to do and far more drive to go and do it. 6/10yrs on what they're doing now comes far more from their gap year knowledge than their (somewhat naive) school ideas. You need to look closely at 'don't do it advice' and see if it comes from experience or simply fear of the unknown.

Having said that I don't want to bias you one way or the other - it's your life and go or stay has to be your decision. The only thing I would say is that if you have the sort of personality that'll take on a year of solo travel you'll probably not be fazed by the job market when you get back. You might want to consider though (you probably have already) how you're going to sell that time to prospective employers when they ask you what you've been doing.

Yes, I guess I should have put “except electricians and possibly plumbers”.
I was thinking more of the wet trades - bricklaying, plastering and decorating.
Although I suspect things have changed even for those trades in Oz, as it has here in the UK.
Things were different in the mid 80s when I lived in Oz.

I was self employed in the building trade - groundwork and brickwork - for 25 years. My wife was also self employed. We would have 4-7 weeks away every summer.
15 years ago we decided to retrain for jobs where we could live in other countries for a few years and use them as a springboard - for many reasons it didn’t pan out.
In hindsight we should have stuck to what we were doing and take longer off on occasions for bigger trips.
So there’s my answer to your original question.

There’s other advantages to having a ‘home base’ to return to:
A network of of friends and family for a myriad of things.
A network of work possibilities

I do think things have changed in the UK - I don’t think it’s just looking back with rose tinted glasses.

I’m 57 and nearly everyone, my age, I know went travelling when they were younger. Even the ones who didn’t do the whole SE Asia backpacking trail went inter-railing round Europe.
Thinking about my family and friends’ children, who are now between the ages of 19-30, very few have done it - in fact, sitting here right now, I can only think of 2.

Once I was talking to a friend about doing something that would take 3 years. My friend asked me what was my life like 3 years ago - ‘much the same as it is now’ I replied. ‘Well then’ my friend said ‘if you’d have started that thing 3 years ago your life would be different now’.

When I went off travelling in my early 20s, I came back a couple of years later and nothing had changed; I went back to work, back to the rugby club and back to the same social scene - but those memories of travelling 35 years ago are still as vivid as ever and it feels like yesterday. Oh and I was a much better rugby player :D

Yes, I remember it well - the hippie trail to India, the secret beach in S.E. Asia etc. Being even older than you (late 60's) it was the background to my teens and 20's. Someone I knew back then built a business bussing people to India to find 'nirvana'. Because of the number of factory jobs around it was possible to go off for a while and find some kind of work fairly easily when you got back. University was very much a minority route.

Times, as you say, have changed. That's why my experience of the path through life; trying to balance work, 'family' in all its definitions, and travel will be of minimal interest or help to Terry, and it's why I mentioned what my children have done over various bits of the last decade. You're right that gap years have gone from being time out to find yourself to being seen as a year of hedonistic indulgence - sex and drugs in the sun. That's bad enough before uni but to go off afterwards can be a hard sell to future employers in more conservative industries. We thought the risk worth taking with our kids, and its worked out. They came back far more rounded and self reliant individuals and that's stood them in good stead when dealing with people - employers for example.

The reality is though that taking a year out in your late 20's is lost in the noise a decade or two later. My brother in law even took five years out of his high end professional career (medicine) to be a tv presenter (corporate stuff, not public broadcast) and 20yrs later he's been back exactly where he would have been for some time. There may be some people who regret taking time out to pursue a passion - where it didn't work out for them - but the vast majority of people I know who've done it have benefitted long term.

So I'd say there's some real value in what you've said here.

First off, what I should disclose is that I've got a permanent mental disorder called wanderlust. See source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dromomania
So that year or so is got to happen, on a medical basis.

I'm curious how you or your children played that travel? I post here a bit mixed; I'm not entirely fulfilled by my work (that's up to me to sort out) but I also would like to create a skill set that enables travel in a more sustainable way. In a perfect work, returning from travel wouldn't be such an ordeal.

Just out of curiosity, do you think this observation has more to do with the finances or something else?

I'd die immediately.

I would describe my job in engineering as just that a job not a career, I qualified and got on with my job albeit with several different employers as I came and went from my travels, I did not try climbing any career ladder or gain promotion I just updated my skills as the industry progressed. I did cheat a little on my CV in that I pulled to ends of employment periods together sometimes to make a continuous run without the time away showing, I left work to travel on probably 10 occasions but my employment record only showed twice and I was not caught out, not that it would have mattered.


The only child of friends that I can think of who has travelled is an electrician of which there is a shortage, no pun intended, in the UK, he gave in his noticed after finishing his apprenticeship and was told come back and see us when you get back, your job will be here. Those who have gone to university seem to have to climb on the career ladder and keep climbing straight away.

No. The financial lives of my nieces/nephews and friends children are much the same as their parents, when they were their age.
I think it’s a cultural thing. I met my wife when I was 30 and the thing that drew us together the most (apart from the obvious) was talking about our travels and we really fell in love on our first bike trip. Her relatives and friends had also been travelling - it was a thing that young people (at least the ones I knew) did back then.
The next generation seem to want to go to university, get a job and a house (whether rented or bought) as soon as possible. They appear to be more interested in material wealth such as nice cars etc...
I’m not saying they’re wrong, I’m saying that fashions change.

I had a good life to return to. Good friends and fun times. Sport is a great thing to have in your life for many reasons.
My job was physically hard, I couldn’t say I loved it but it paid well (physically demanding jobs usually are in the UK - hard to find people who are fit and strong).

This whole thing about travel - why we do it, why we want to do it, what we get from it, what we give up for it, has been rolling around in the various parts of my mind for many decades. Recently (about 3yrs ago) I started planning a project to try and explore it in more detail but Coronavirus has stretched the timescale out somewhat. I'm planning (eventually) to write it all up in book form (partly written at the moment) because, as the saying goes, 'I don't know what I think until I read what I wrote.'

I came to travel both early and late. Early because as a child the only real travel we did was from our various homes (we moved around a lot when I was young) was to visit my mother's relatives in Ireland. That wasn't so much a trip to another country as a voyage into the past - about 50yrs into the past (or that's what it felt like anyway). That would be really interesting now but then, as a young child, I found it depressing. It wasn't until I started travelling with my peer group in my late teens that it (and bike travel in particular) became a passion. And at roughly the same time I had to try and balance that with the world of work.

My planning for a working future started early - probably around the age of 10, when my parents started 'hothousing' me for the 11 Plus exam. Anyone (of any age anyway) in the UK will know that as being one of the fork in the road moments. Pass and you'd go on to an academic school, fail and you'd go to a technical one. Out of my class of 33 that year, 3 of us passed... So for me the route then went O levels, A levels, Uni and a professional career as a biochemist in a research lab. That, on a generational basis, was a considerable step up from my parent's world of hire and fire low end jobs with tied houses and no certainty beyond the end of the week. So how do you say a few years later, I'm giving it all up to travel. Right through the 70's (and my 20's) I had to wrestle with that.

So when, years later, I could see my kids exhibiting the same desires we encouraged them to face it head on and at least do something substantial. My son spent a year in China. Part of his time was spent teaching English as a foreign language (he got a qualification part time before he went) in a couple of cities, the rest of the time doing whatever he wanted. The teaching part filled in the blank on his CV - and was seen as a considerable positive by subsequent employers. He came back quite relaxed about living in other countries, chose to do his Masters in Amsterdam and his Doctorate in Stockholm. His PhD supervisor told us last year that he was very impressed by his Chinese experience and that he could speak (fluentish) Mandarin. Travel as a positive rather than something to try and cover up.

Ok, that's one person's experience but the point is that we tried to anticipate what problems might come along down the road and do what we could to head them off.

Our youngest is about to (not) sit his A Levels. For those not familiar with the UK education system these are the exams (when they are held at least) that 18 year olds sit at the end of school - normally in three distinct subjects but up to five is not unknown. In Scotland they have a similar system and they are called Highers. My son is thinking about taking a year out before University and as a result of this thread he has been challenged with fleshing out what he actually wants to do in that year - so far that has run to doing football refereeing and scouting courses and working. He appears to have no great desire to travel as yet but it may be voiced this evening. I don't want to have him lounging around stealing oxygen from those of us with things to do.

Having said that, given his current workrate he will be resitting his A Levels.....

To answer this specific question:

Now, I'm a consultant in engineering, HSE, Leadership, and project management (and a few more bits and pieces). Until the pandemic we travelled a lot, mainly on business, with a week or three tagged onto each trip to explore the places we went, all over the world.

How did I reach this point? Experience in engineering and management for many years, also in many parts of the world, in Mining and Energy.

How did I get into these industries? Degree in Engineering, post-graduate in business administration, then jumped into the most interesting work opportunity I could find, which was a mining contract in Botswana.

We're now into a routine of a year working and a year travelling...

3,2,1, Go!
 

I would recommend travel, for me a small period of travel suits me.
I grew up on a housing estate in one of the toughest and most deprived areas of Glasgow with an alcoholic mother who had mental issues and a stable hard working father. Life expectancy was higher in Bangladesh than where I lived. There has to be something more than this I thought and low and behold-there was! I worked as a labourer when I left school and travelled to Russia by train. I continued to work as a labourer and went to night school to gain qualifications. I got into Uni, first of my family to do so. Worked in London, hated it. Went back to Uni and got a Masters then went to America and travelled for two years in the Americas by bike. It wasn't all sunshine, but I wouldn't swap it for anything.

Came back to UK, had some crap jobs but eventually got a good job on the basis of the guy asking about my travels. Still working for the same crowd. Travelled all over the world, paid off the mortgage early then bought my bike. Threw everything into paying off the mortgage early and I did 5 years early. Will be 62 in April. What does the future hold, I don't know but if I can keep working I will. Plan B is to retire at 66 and piss off to India/ Malaysia/ Sri Lanka October to April. However, as you age your health window of opportunity naturally declines, so need to try and stay healthy.
Have a plan and stick to it. Being on the road full time is not for me, I like my house and I like the UK. So, good luck, be kind and take care of yourself.

I don't have a lot of time for A levels as they're currently devised. I remember going for an interview with my son's sixth form tutor at the end of his first year. The tutor asked him what he was planning to do. He replied 'go to university'. The tutor looked down at his notes and said 'you might want to reconsider that.' He went on, post gap year, to get a first at undergraduate level, a merit at masters and 'one of the best doctoral submissions we've seen' from his PhD examiner. That from someone who if it had been down to the tutor (as it may well be this year) wouldn't even have made it to university at all. I won't bore you with either my wife's or daughter's tales but they have similar stories about how it nearly all fell apart at A level.

My daughter spent the first half of her gap year travelling and volunteering - mainly in west coast Canada and the US. She then got a job in Sainsbury's. That, as much as anything, taught her that she didn't want to work the checkouts for the rest of her life. Neither, she quickly decided, did she want to do the uni course she'd signed up for (politics) as she thought the rest of the students (and a good number of the tutors) were 'idiots'. Because of the gap year she had the confidence to tackle the uni authorities about changing her course to something completely different (life sciences) even though she didn't have the A level results to warrant a place on the course. Most of her friends who went straight from school said they'd never have been able to do that. So by and large gap years, travel, and the independance it brought about has been a good thing for both of them.

I must say I’m really enjoying this discussion, what a shame we’re not all in a pub somewhere having a few beers.

Things were going very well for me when I went travelling in the 80s. I was in my early 20s and had a small firm employing 4 men. I’d just completed 2 nice contracts and had another lined up, and I had money in the bank. It wasn’t the obvious time to go but I saw the trip as enhancing my life rather than escaping it.

I wanted to see more of the world (obviously) and play some Southern Hemisphere rugby. Mainly, though, I didn’t take life too seriously and I thought it would be a laugh - and it was. I didn’t worry about the future, I always thought I’d get a job doing something and so far I’ve been right - I’ve done some pretty tough jobs over the years but we need money to live and to travel so I just got on with it with a smile on my face.

I must say I have changed over the last 10 years, not for the better, but I’m trying to get back to my old self and as soon as we’re able I’m off on a trip with my wife.

I was a bus driver, and many other things before I decided to go into the trades (Electrician in BC, Canada) for the specific purpose of not having to be tied down to an employer where I can't take extended time off to travel.

I finished my basic Entry Level Training and joined the IBEW local 230 on Vancouver Island. Due to the project oriented nature of construction trades, it's quite expected to be laid off after the project is done. I've mostly relied on the union dispatch list to get work and tried to travel during my "downtimes". With our local we can easily take off as much time as we want with no negative consequences.

It's worked out reasonably well so far but some of the travels had to be a bit more spontaneous to fit into the slow times.

There's been some really good responses that I didn't frankly expect.

As a whole, I'm seeing a blend of industries/careers which are probably all interesting in different ways. The commonality being that one can integrate a life of travel as long as you can bring obvious value or skill that's in need, as well as the commitment to follow through on it.

I'll wait and see how I'm feeling about it all on the tail end of the trip so that I'm not making impactful decisions based on a bad temporary situation. With that said, I'm somewhat certain that transitioning to something more hands on mechanically is going to be a better fit for my preferred interests and lifestyle.

I don't think I'm damned to hell if I travel, but if I am, oh well.

I'm a mariner by trade, which has allowed for a lot of time off for travel time. It's not for everyone for sure, but without a degree you can work you way up to healthy six figures and 3-6 months off a year. This is for the US, it varies a lot by country.

The industry is highly variable on schedule, pay, skills required, etc., depending on whether you go for passenger vessels, river tugs, coastal tugs, oil and gas, deep sea or specialty. Union and non union are available. Covid has made thing weird/bad, but hopefully that will be resolved sometime sort of soon.

Working at sea on most vessels requires a myriad of certifications, but most can be obtained piece meal as needed, making up front training costs not too bad. Or you can go whole hog to a maritime academy and they'll push you out the door with licensing to get a solid start.

Not sure if this was mentioned in the other jobs thread, thought I would throw it out there.

Terry, I've skimmed through this thread briefly and have an answer. It's only my 2 pence worth but it has worked for me.
At 27 there is only one direction you need to look and that's working offshore. Your an engineer of some sorts yes..? Well there's an offshore industry that will welcome you, serve you and outlast you. It will fill your bank balance, give you free time off, allow you to plan your life ahead.
Wind Power Generation is now currently and will be 'the future'..!! Look at taking your GWO's as a start into it. If you can get a position as a first level Wind Turbine Tech to get the ball rolling you could go places within this industry. You have the most powerful asset already, YOUTH...!!! I started working offshore almost ten years ago, been a sparky all my life and now I'm into HV cable jointing/ terminating. My biggest life regret is I didn't take this up earlier in my 20's or 30's.
Money they say is the route of all evil, I've found money gives you choices and freedom.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

I think having a usable skill set is key here, no matter what industry your in, if you want to find work easy & have the ability to walk back into a job on returning, you need to be skilled to stand out above the rest, & also be in a industry that pays well so you have surplus of income to afford to be able to take time off....

I’m a electrician, in a field that is very specialised, VERY! I get job offers all the time, even my current job was a call out of the blue basically asking when can I start & name my salary, & I have weeks off at a time, paid. BUT, I worked for the same company for 11 years during my 20s to build up a skill set, experience, contacts & a name for myself. So that’s what it took me to get me where I’m at, but along the way I got married & had kids....so now I have money, & the time to adventure, but kids are school age so long term travel is not for them

After many years of working for a few very large railway organisations 5 years ago I bought a business and went self employed. I am now tied to the business until such time as I get a manager in - it is not a complicated business but it needs attention on a day-to-day basis and the willingness to get your hands dirty. The business provides an income and we can sell it if it becomes a burden releasing cash.

Anyway, I am now developing a second, separate, business that will employ just a few people but it can be manage to a very large degree - if not totally - from the road and at least one of our children will be involved directly on a day to day basis. This will mean that I will be able to travel and still have an income.

Taking on the first business opened my eyes to the world in a completely different way of thinking so that now I see business opportunities - as well as traps - I suspect that I will see opportunities when I travel but whether I bother to take up the opportunities is unknown - I hope that my income from the businesses will be sufficient to finance the travelling on an ongoing basis.

As a sideline I am hoping to give technical talks to foreign railway organisations whilst on my travels - I am a specialist in a couple of niche technical markets. I would hope that this will also provide an income for me as I am be able to act as an agent for a supply companies related to the technical areas.

Travelling
 

By travelling, do yo only mean only for very long time ?
Like taking a year and go around the world ?

=
I had some nice years of travelling, when I had wife but no kids.
We spent one month vacation every year, touring on MC.
Exploring different ares/countries.

The work was not a stopper. But with family including kids.....Not by MC
=

As it looks now. You can go on organized tours. If you want things prepared. And be efficient.
Or go to any place, Rent a bike for a month, have an adventure and then return to work.

One time I took December vacation one year and January vacation next year. And spent 2 month in Ecuador. => hard working periods, but...

=

If you want to combine travel with work. There are some ideas:

* IT work. Like creating web sites or..Other SW development. It can be done anywhere where there is Internet Connection.

* Develop the ability to create good videos. And get a popular Youtube channel => That gives you income to travel. This is not uncommon.

* Books? some good writers can get income from writing books about their journey.

* Split your journey in pieces. Travel for some time. Go home to work. And then back to where you stopped. And continue.

I like the diversity of backgrounds from all those that have posted here. If everyone happened to be around a bonfire I'm sure the group would be an eclectic one. Thanks all for your thoughts on this.

Not sure about everyone else but I don't know that I'd like working on the road. I don't think I'm disciplined enough to turn on the business switch in the middle of a country I've never been in -compartmentalizing my attention based on my surroundings is much easier. That's why working from home is such a slog but to each his own.

MEZ posted about offshore wind which i think is going to blow up here eventually and that kind of mechanical work would be right up my alley. The wages for wind techs aren't very high here in the states currently but hopefully that will change when the demand inevitably goes up. I do value high wages as it's necessary for both substantial traveling and investing.

My brother in law threw out structural fire (his profession) as a possibility which could probably work for most people. About two months off can be arranged annually. For me though, two months just isn't enough to really settle into it. Apparently I'm greedy with my time :)